Researchers
looked at the number of premature deaths between 1990 and 2010, and found that
even though the
average life expectancy for Americans increased from 75.2 to 78.2,
the number of premature deaths from diseases such as Alzheimer’s, liver cancer,
Parkinson’s disease, and kidney cancer rose sharply. In addition, the number of
life years lost to conditions related to drug use
disorders increased by 448 percent over the course of the
study.

“The
United States spends more than the rest of the world on health care and leads
the world in the quality and quantity of its health research, but that doesn’t
add up to better health outcomes,” Christopher Murray, MD, study author and
director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in Seattle,
said in a statement. “The country has done a good job of preventing premature
deaths from stroke, but when it comes to lung cancer, preterm birth
complications, and a range of other causes, the country isn’t keeping pace with
high-income countries in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere.”

The rates
of neurological diseases and disorders related to poor diet and exercise
skyrocketed over the two decades, according to the study. Alzheimer’s disease,
which was ranked as the 32nd-highest cause of years of
life lost in 1999, shot to number 9 in 2010. Likewise, diabetes went from
number 15 to 7.

“If the
U.S. can make progress with dietary risk factors, physical activity, and
obesity, it will see massive reductions in death and disability,” Ali Mokdad,
MD, study author and head of the U.S. County Health Performance team for IHME,
said in a statement. “Unhealthy diets and a lack of physical activity in the
U.S. cause more health loss than smoking, alcohol, or drug use.”

Robert Rosenson,
MD, director of cardiometabolic disorders, at Mount Sinai Medical
Center in New York City, called the findings "disappointing."

"It’s quite
disappointing that the U.S. is falling behind in outcomes for diseases, such as
cardiovascular disease, and especially those diseases with preventable
causes," he said. "We need to make a major effort to make better
lifestyle choices daily based on diet."

The U.S.
did make strides in the fight against diseases such as AIDS, which went from
the 7th highest cause of years of life lost in 1999 to
23 in 2010, according to the study.

Do
The Dollars Make Sense?

The U.S.
spends approximately 17.6 percent of its GDP on healthcare, but still has a
lower life expectancy than countries such as Japan, which spends 9 percent of
its GDP on healthcare.

“The
United States spends the most per capita on health care across all
countries, lacks universal health coverage, and lags behind other
high-income countries for life expectancy and many other health outcome
measures,” the researchers wrote in the study. “High costs with mediocre
population health outcomes at the national level are compounded by marked
disparities across communities, socioeconomic groups, and race and ethnicity
groups.”

Amongst
its 40 economic peers, the U.S. dropped from 18th in
premature deaths in 1990 to 27th in 2010, and the life
expectancy at birth fell from 20th to
27th. And while the U.S. slipped, countries such as
Australia, Germany, Israel and Italy made strides in reducing their death rate.
Japan held on to the number one spot for the duration of the study.

The
findings indicate that the U.S. doesn’t need to spend more on health care, but
spend smarter instead.

"The best
investments for improving population health would likely be public health
programs and multisectoral action to address risks such as physical inactivity,
diet, ambient particulate pollution, and alcohol and
tobacco consumption," the researchers wrote in the study

Addressing
the problems will require a multipronged approach, Harvey Fineberg, M.D.,
Ph.D., a researcher with the Institute of Medicine in Washington, D.C., wrote
in an accompanying editorial, but tackling the problems from all angles could
make a big difference in a short amount of time.

“Setting
the United States on a healthier course will surely require leadership at all
levels of government and across the public and private sectors and actively
engaging the health professions and the public,” he wrote. “If all constituents
do their parts, the apt subtitle for the next generation’s analysis of U.S.
health will be not ‘doing better and feeling worse (still),’ but 'getting
better faster than ever.'”

Parents, teachers
and community leaders also need to take charge of children, Dr. Rosenson said,
in order to stop them from developing the same problems as the older
generations.

"Efforts by
communities across our country need to take charge of what we are providing our
children to eat at home and at school," he said. "The costs due to
poor eating and disabling health conditions are overtaxing our society. We
can’t afford it."

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